Apparatus for moving refuse from a bin

ABSTRACT

In an installation where compactable material is intermittently pushed laterally from a hopper through a passageway by a reciprocating pusher, as for example the feeding of municipal rubbish from a receiving hopper into an incinerator, a toothed power-driven roll extending across the top of the passageway rakes and forces some of the material in the upper part of the mass which is being pushed into the passageway in the opposite direction, that is away from the entrance to the passageway, and thereby reduces the tendency of the material to become compacted at the entrance to said passage.

United States Patent Reilly [541 APPARATUS FOR MOVING REFUSE FROM A BIN[72] Inventor: Bertram B. Reilly, 17 Briar Cliff Rd., Pittsburgh, Pa.15202 22 Filed: Oct.22, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 82,908

[52] US. Cl ..2l4/l7 D, 110/109, 198/226, 214/23, 241/101 R [51] Int. Cl..B65g 65/44 [58] Field of Search ..2l4/l7 D, 23; 198/161, 226; 241/186R, 101 R; 110/109 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,303,9472/ 1967 Reilly ..214/23 2,489,594 1l/l949 Sherman ..198/161 X 2,624,447l/1953 Small ..198/161 51 Aug. 1,1972

3,589,627 6/1971 Torrence ..241/l86 R Primary Examiner-Robert G.Sheridan Attorney-Parmelee, Utzler & Welsh [57] ABSTRACT 6 Claims, 5Drawing Figures PATENTEDMIB 1 m2 llVVENTUI? BERT/PAM B. RE/LLY 6 00 1 Mhis Attorneys APPARATUS FOR MOVING REFUSE FROM ABIN This inventionrelates to an improvement in the feeding of compactible material from abin or hopper into and through a laterally extending passageway by apusher, and more particularly to means at the entrance In my U.S. Pat.No. 3,303,947 there is disclosed an apparatus comprising a receiving binwith a bottom,

side, front and rear walls positioned at the front of an incinerator. Aram type pusher, movable over the bottom of the bin, pushes materialfrom the bottom of the bin toward the front wall of the bin and into apassage that opens through the front wall into the charging end of anincinerator. The construction of the pusher is such that it pushesagainst only the lowermost stratum of material in the bin, but thedischarge .passage leading in a generally horizontal direction from thebin to the incinerator is of a height much higher than the ram. Thus,while only the lower stratum of material is engaged by the pusher, theheterogeneous composition of municipal rubbish, with the matting andtangling that occurs, causes material above the pusher to be carriedalong and forced into the passageway where it becomes compacted,offering great resistance to the operation of the pusher, especially insucceeding cycles of its operation.

In my said patent a free-turning roller was placed under the front wallof the bin at the top of the entrance into the discharge passage to helprelieve this condition.

While the arrangement shown in my patent has performed in a generallysatisfactory manner, conditions arise where the material in the passage,and particularly at the entrance, require excessive power to operate theram, and even require that workmen sometime relieve the impaction.

According to the present-invention, means is provided at the top of theentrance to the discharge passage for raking the topmost material thatis being pushed into the passage in a reverse direction back into thebin, and also lifting material upwardly and loosening it while alsocutting some of it into relatively small fragments. The simplest andwhat I deem to be the preferred means comprises a horizontal rollerextending along the top of the discharge passage under the lower edge ofthe front wall or front face of the bin, this roll having spacedprojecting teeth, staggered with relation to adjacent teeth, on itsperiphery. The teeth are ratchet-shaped with the leading face beingabrupt, that is, in a plane substantially radial to the axis of rotationof the roll. A power drive rotates the roll in a direction such that theteeth at the bottom of the roll move opposite to the direction in whichthe material being pushed into the opening travels. There is a fixedcomb positioned in about the plane of the front face of the bin withspaced teeth or fingers between which the teeth of the roller pass, sothat the teeth on the roller in cooperation with the comb, will cut orbreak some of the refuse that is moved by the teeth of the drum againstthe face of the comb into coarse fragments.

My invention may be more fully understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of theinvention, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary schematic end elevation showing on a largerscale the drum and comb arrangement;

' FIG. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of a portion of the roller;

FIG. 4 is a similar fragmentary front elevation of a portion of thecomb; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the roller drive arrangementwhich is at one side of the apparatus.

In the drawings 1 have shown an apparatus similar to that of my saidU.S. Pat. No. 3,303,947 with certain details omitted, and with thepresent invention being applied thereto and to the applicable extent thedescription is duplicated.

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate correspondingparts, there is shown somewhat schematically the forward or charging endof an incinerator A, with a horizontal charging passage 2 in the frontwall B thereof. This charging passage is generally rectangular insection, being wider than it is high. It has a refractory bottom wall orfloor 3, side walls 4, and a top wall 5. At 6 there is an upwardly andoutwardly movable door, movable from the closed position shown in thedrawings to the open position indicated by dotted lines. A fluidpressure cylinder and piston mechanism 7 is here indicated for operatingthe door.

Forwardly of the charging door there is a receiving bin C at the top ofwhich there may be a platform D from which trucks dump refuse into thebin. The bin has side walls 10 and a metal bottom 11 flush with thefloor 3 of the passage. The wall opposite the incinerator opening isdesignated 10a. The front wall or face of the bin is designated 10b. Atthe bottom of rear wall 100 there is a pusher 12 having a pan portion12a that rides on the bottom of the bin and a vertical pusher plate"12b. There are bracing gussets 14 attached to both plates forstrengthening the pusher. At the rear of the pusher there is a ramhaving a fixed cylinder 15 and a plunger 16 which is attached to thepusher at 17. There is an apron 18 at the back of the pusher over theplunger which moves with the plunger. Beneath the apron are supportingrollers 19.

In operation, the plunger moves the pusher toward the charging passage,forcing refuse in the lower portion of the bin toward and into thepassage, while the apron l8 prevents the overlying refuse from gettingin behind the pusher. At this time the door 6 is open and the refuse ispushed forward onto the floor 3 of the passage and then withdraws torepeat the operation, pushing the material previously advanced off thefloor 3 into the incinerator.

As here shown, there is a structural cross member in the form of achannel section 20 extending along the lower edge of the front wall 10b.Below this channel section there is a hollow cylindrical drum or roller21 that extends across the full width of the bin, or at leastsubstantially the full width of the opening into the passage 2. Theroller is supported in bearings at each side of the bin. There are teeth22 on the periphery of the drum spaced from one another around theperiphery of the drum and spaced lengthwise of the drum. As here shown,the teeth are arranged in helical rows around the drum. Looking at oneend of the drum, the tooth No.1 isnearest the end; 120 from No.. 1 istooth'No. 3,,and 120 from it is tooth No. 5. Then comes tooth No. 2which is 60 from tooth No.1, but considerably further from the end ofthe drum, followed by tooth No. .4 which is 120 from No. 2 but 60 fromN0. 3, and of course the one most remote from the end of the drum asseen in FIG. 2. From No. 4 the helical series of teeth begins again withNo. 1. If the teeth are 2 inches wide and the space between them is 3inches, there is a span of 25 inches between the first No. l and thenextNo. 1, and as a matter of fact the second No. 1 might start behind thefirst No. 1 some distance, say 15, and the third series 30. With such anarrangement only one tooth or two or three, depending on the length ofthe roll, would be at a given angular position with respect to the comb,now about to be described, at a time.

The comb, designated 25, comprises a main cross bar portion-26 supportedat the bottom of the channel 20 in about the plane of the front wall bof the hopper, and it has depending spaced teeth or fingers 27 thatextend down from the bar somewhat tangentially to the periphery of thedrum with their free ends terminating against the drum. The spacingbetween the teeth of the comb is such that the teeth on the front upperquadrant of the drum or roll pass between them with considerableclearance. Angular bracing plates are indicated at 28.

The drum isdriven at a relatively slow speed in a clockwise direction asviewedin FIG. 2, that is the teeth on the lowerrnost portion of the rollperiphery are moving in a direction toward the bin instead of toward thepassage to move the uppermost portion of the material in adirectionopposite the direction in which the ram pushes it, and the teeth in theportion below the front wall move upwardly to liftmaterial upwardly inrespect to the hopper. Material that is carried by the teeth against thecomb is cut or broken in two, and fragments that'pass through the combmay be carried over the top of the drum and dropped into the passage 2.In this respect the drum and comb arrangement serves also as a cuttermeans or cutter bar. The teeth on the drum are desirably of a ratchetshape. Each tooth 22 has a leading face 220 that is in 'a plane of aradius of the drum and its periphery decreases in height from theforward tip toward the opposite end of the tooth, providing the requiredstrength and rake 22b.

For rotating -the drum there is shown an electric motor 30 connectedwith a reducing gear 31 which drives a sprocket or chain belt pulley 32.This drives pulley or sprocket 33 through chain belt 34. Pulley 33 is ona shaft 35 that is coupled at 36 to one end of the drum.

The teeth on the drum are staggered in the manner indicated so that ifthe drum is of the'order of ten feet in length, only two or three teethalong its length will be in any given angular position at one time, thusreducing 6 the torque required to rotate the drum when the machine isoperating.

lclaim:

1. In an apparatus for feeding compactible material from a bin which hasa front walland a horizontally extending passageway extending upwardlyfrom the bottom of the bin to the lower edge of the front wall whichterminates at and extends across the top of the passageway, theapparatus having means for pushing material in the bin across the bottomof the bin into the passageway, the invention comprising:

a. toothed means extendingacross the'e'ntrance to the passageway underthefront wall at the top of the passageway and spaced above the pushingmeans entirely clear of the path :of movement of said pushing means,said toothed means having a plurality of teeth projecting therefrom, and

b. power means arranged to drive said toothed means in a direction wherethe'te eth move continuously in a closed path with the teeth onthe'lowermost portion thereof traveling in said passageway in adirection opposite the direction in which said pushing means moves thematerial.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the toothed means is arollerand the teeth arecarried on and project from the periphery of theroller, the power means for driving the roller rotating it in adirection where the teeth along the bottomquadrant of the roller travelcounter to the directionin which the material is pushed by said pushingmeans and the teeth at the front of the roller move upwardly in avertical arc. 3. The invention defined in claim .2 where the teeth arespacedfrom one another lengthwise of the roller and in staggeredrelation to one another about the periphery of the roller, and a combelement located below the front wall forwardly of the roller with spacedteeth thereon between which. the teeth at thefront of the roller pass,the teeth ofthe comb extending-in a tan gential direction with respectto the roller;

4. The invention defined-in claim 3 wherein the free ends'of the combteeth ride against the surface of the roller.

5. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein the teeth are of ratchetshape with the leading face of the teeth beingin a plane radial to theroller and the peripheries of the teeth sloping rearwardly inward fromthe leading face. e

6. In an apparatus for feeding compactible material from a bin which hasa front wall with a horizontally extending passageway therethroughextending upwardly from the bottom of the bin only partway up the fullheight of the front wall whereby the bin may hold compactible materialto a level extending above the top of the passageway, the front wall ofthe bin having its lower edge terminating along the top of thepassageway, the apparatus having a ram reciprocable over the bottom ofthe bin toward and away from the passageway for pushing material fromthe bininto and through the passageway, the invention comprising:

a. a roller extending horizontally across the front of said passagewayjust below the front wall of the bin and spaced entirely above theplane. of travel of the ram,

b. means arranged to rotate said roller in a direction in which thelower portion of its periphery moves opposite to the direction of travelof material being pushed from the bin into and through said passageway,

front wall in front of the roller having fingers between which the teethon the front quadrant of the roller pass for cutting material that maybe carried by the teeth against the comb.

1. In an apparatus for feeding compactible material from a bin which hasa front wall and a horizontally extending passageway extending upwardlyfrom the bottom of the bin to the lower edge of the front wall whichterminates at and extends across the top of the passageway, theapparatus having means for pushing material in the bin across the bottomof the bin into the passageway, the invention comprising: a. toothedmeans extending across the entrance to the passageway under the frontwall at the top of the passageway and spaced above the pushing meansentirely clear of the path of movement of said pushing means, saidtoothed means having a plurality of teeth projecting therefrom, and b.power means arranged to drive said toothed means in a direction wherethe teeth move continuously in a closed path with the teeth on thelowermost portion thereof traveling in said passageway in a directionopposite the direction in which said pushing means moves the material.2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the toothed means is aroller and the teeth are carried on and project from the periphery ofthe roller, the power means for driving the roller rotating it in adirection where the teeth along the bottom quadrant of the roller travelcounter to the direction in which the material is pushed by said pushingmeans and the teeth at the front of the roller move upwardly in avertical arc.
 3. The invention defined in claim 2 where the teeth arespaced from one another lengthwise of the roller and in staggeredrelation to one another about the periphery of the roller, and a combelement located below the front wall forwardly of the roller with spacedteeth thereon between which the teeth at the front of the roller pass,the teeth of the comb extending in a tangential direction with respectto the roller.
 4. The invention defined in claim 3 wherein the free endsof the comb teeth ride against the surface of the roller.
 5. Theinvention defined in claim 2 wherein the teeth are of ratchet shape withthe leading face of the teeth being in a plane radial to the roller andthe peripheries of the teeth sloping rearwardly inward from the leadingface.
 6. In an apparatus for feeding compactible material from a binwhich has a front wall with a horizontally extending passagewaytherethrough extending upwardly from the bottom of the bin only partwayup the full height of the front wall whereby the bin may holdcompactible material to a level extending above the top of thepassageway, the front wall of the bin having its lower edge terminatingalong the top of the passageway, the apparatus having a ram reciprocableover the bottom of the bin toward and away from the passageway forpushing material from the bin into and through the passageway, theinvention comprising: a. a roller extending horizontally across thefront of said passageway just below the front wall of the bin and spacedentirely above the plane of travel of the ram, b. means arranged torotate said roller in a direction in which the lower portion of itsperiphery moves opposite to the direction of travel of material beingpushed from the bin into and through said passageway, c. the peripheryof the roll having spaced teeth projecting therefrom arranged to rakesome of the material in the top of the mass of material that is beingpushed by the ram into the passageway, and d. a comb fixed to the bin atthe lower edge of the front wall in front of the roller having fingersbetween which the teeth on the front quadrant of the roller pass forcutting material that may be carried by the teeth against the comb.